Sir, Regarding ‘Chinese pledge raises hopes of climate compromise‘: The UN has already lowered expectations of COP 16 negotiations to rock bottom, and while only the most optimistic would expect a deal to emerge from Cancún, the fundamental imperatives underlying the urgency to adopt more sustainable economies have not gone away, nor can we afford [...]

Sir, As ministers from across the EU-27 meet for the Informal Energy Council on 6-7 September, the oil refining industry urges them to recognise refining as an essential element of energy infrastructure and ensure that the Communication on Energy infrastructure includes oil pipelines and refining as a vital part of the supply chain for refined [...]

Sir, Regarding ‘Brussels to play down ‘carbon leakage’ threat‘: We should call the bluff that industry is playing on carbon leakage. It would be more in our interests to encourage inefficient, energy-intensive, EU ETS-subsidised [European Emissions Trading Scheme] companies to exit Europe, because it could: 1) Reduce the EU’s carbon footprint rapidly and significantly. 2) [...]